WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in an abrupt election-year shift in strategy,
opened the possibility yesterday of allowing a vote on congressional approval of the long-delayed
Keystone XL oil pipeline.

“I’m open to anything that will move energy efficiency,” said Reid, a longtime foe of the
Keystone project.

He was referring to a bill that would save energy through tougher building codes. The bill,
sponsored by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, is expected to be considered as
early as next week.

Details were unclear, but in exchange for Republicans supporting the efficiency bill, Reid could
permit a vote on a measure that would allow Congress to approve the pipeline. The vote could allow
Democratic senators facing tough elections in November, such as Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, to be
seen as supporting the project.

But even if the bill passes the Senate and a similar bill passes in the House, it is likely that
President Barack Obama would veto it.

The Obama administration has been considering the pipeline for more than five years. Earlier
this month, the State Department said it would again delay a decision on the pipeline until the
Nebraska Supreme Court settles a dispute over the path, effectively delaying the decision until
after the Nov. 4 elections.

“We are discussing what to do,” a senior Democratic aide said, making no prediction on when a
decision would be made on whether to allow a vote on TransCanada Corp.’s pipeline.

The project would bring more than 800,000 barrels per day of heavy oil from Canada’s Alberta
province to refineries in Texas.

Reid, D-Nevada, said Republicans initially wanted a non-binding sense of the Senate vote on
Keystone. But now they are pushing to be allowed to offer an amendment or other measure that allows
Congress to force approval of the project.